There are bands in this world that you hear their name and you say to yourself that the name is so bad ass that the band must be as well. Sometimes you are letdown when you finally hear them and then most of the time they live up to their bad ass name like Denver Death Thrash act Necropanther. The minute I saw the name Necropanther I was like why haven’t I heard of these guys before? The band which is made up of former members of Havok have just unleashed their latest EP titled Oppression and it definitely will not disappoint fans of both the Death Metal or Thrash Metal genres. Bassist Marcus Corich spoke to Kerrang about the EP saying, “This EP has been a decade in the making. I wrote these songs between 2008 and 2010, and they’re indicative of my music from that time. The songs feature elements from thrash, death metal, punk, and classical music. After I joined Necropanther last year, the guys and I decided to produce the material as a DIY-style follow-up to [our debut] Eyes of Blue Light, and I couldn’t be more proud of the results.” The track I chose for today’s single is the second track The Camp which combines the swagger of Thrash Metal with the death metal style vocals which absolutely works. Marcus spoke about the track saying “The original concept behind this song was to be a “fuck you” to anyone tainting music I hold dear, especially metal. I wanted a song that was catchy yet heavy, thoughtful but primitive. I melded straight riffing with punk sensibilities, death metal wrinkles, and some nods to composers I enjoy. The story fluctuates between raw suffering and cerebral reflection, united under a banner of “fuck you!” Check out the track below and check out the rest of the EP here. I have just found my new favorite band!!!

One of the most legendary bands from the 80’s that single handedly could be credited with creating the Black Metal genre is England’s Venom. The band released their first album Welcome To Hell in 1981 and have been terrifying parents ever since. Now the band is gearing up to release their fifteenth studio album Storm The Gates which is due out December 14TH via Spinefarm Records. The album is the band’s first since 2015’s From The Very Depths and Cronos is ready to pump you up for it saying, “Get ready for another killer album, packed full of awesome riffs and screaming mayhem. We’ve been hard at work for over two years to make sure this new release raises the bar, to deliver a demonic mix of old and new. Get ready to lay down your souls, legions!” The band that is rounded by Rage (Guitar) and Danté (Drums) bring the fury with the new track Bring Out Your Dead which is the band’s first single off the album and our Metal Single of the Week. The song begins with the typical madness that is Venom before launching into an all out metal assault as they summon the dead. Check out the track below and check out the artwork and track listing below:

01. Bring Out Your Dead02. Notorious03. I Dark Lord04. 100 Miles to Hell05. Dark Night (of the Soul)06. Beaten to a Pulp07. Destroyer08. The Mighty Have Fallen09. Over My Dead Body10. Suffering Dictates11. We the Loud12. Immortal13. Storm the Gates

One of the most legendary Swedish death metal bands of all time in At The Gates is about to release their first new album since 2014’s At War With Reality. When you think of the Death Metal scene from Gothenburg, At The Gates is immediately one of the first bands that I think of instantly as well as their legendary Slaughter Of The Soul album. Nonetheless, the band is back with a new album in To Drink From the Night Itself which comes out May 18TH via Century Media. To keep us occupied until then, the band has unleashed the title track as the first single from the album. When asked why the title track as the first single, vocalist Tomas Lindberg said, “So, for the first song to present to the public, we chose the title track of the album. Which is also the opening track of the record. To us, this gives a presentation of the attitude of the album: raw, hungry and desperate. It also gives an introduction to the whole concept of the record.”

He then continues to say, “We live through our art, and the whole album deals with the concept of art. Art as a tool either for revolution, or suppression. To drink from the night itself is just that, a metaphor for living and breathing through art. Of course the concept goes deeper than that, but this song is the heart of the concept, the fierce call to arms so to say. We are still at war, but this time we are fighting the abyss, the abyss of apathy and oppression. It is an aggressive song, but also contains a lot of the other elements of the band´s sound on this record. Melancholia, desperation and struggle. For the first video we chose to use Patric Ullaeus again, as he is good at capturing the raw energy of the band playing live. In the video you can also see glimpses of the art used for the cover, so it binds it all together nicely. Enjoy.” The song contains everything you would want from an At The Gates track and it even contains some melodic parts to show you how much depth the band has. To pre-order the album right now, click here.

One of the most underrated metal bands of all time has to be the one and only Stryper who have been victims for years because of the attachment of the words “Chrsitian Metal”. For those of you who do not know who Razorfist is, I suggest you get familiar with what he had to say about the band in his Metal Mythos episode on Stryper. You have to agree with him when he tells you that they were an unbelievable Power Metal band that got the raw end of the stick for many years because of the stigma that was attached to them. Nonetheless, the band is back with a vengeance with a brand new album that may just stir up some controversy on the scene with the album title God Damn Evil. The band proves they deserve more than they get with the brand new track Take It To The Cross which is high octane metal with an edge that fans of the band had yet to see. The song is fierce and so fast that it’ll melt your face right off with the power of a Teutonic blast.

Michael Sweet talked about the album saying, “Take It To The Cross’ is our answer to many fans asking us to do something a little heavier and even bordering on thrash. The verses are heavy with a vocal and lyric delivery that’s bold and relevant yet the chorus kicks in with a fast, thrashy vibe. We brought in Matt Bachand (Act Of Defiance / Shadows Fall) to handle the vocal growl on the choruses and the end vamp. This song is 100 percent high octane.” If this track is any indicator of what we can expect from the band on the album then sign me up. The album is due out April 20TH via Frontiers Music SRL, but you can pre-order it now right here. There’s a lot of cool options including some cool vinyl options like a test pressing. Check out the track below:

At first glance, Light The Torch may sound like a brand new band for some of you out there, but for others it’s an all too familiar voice. Howard Jones, the former singer of Killswitch Engage was forced to change the name of his post-KSE band Devil You Know to Light The Torch. The band released a statement on the change saying, “After member issues and legalities continued for a year with no end in sight, we collectively felt it was time to put DYK to rest. Every effort was made to avoid this decision, but it needed/had to be done for the sake of moving forward. We will be forever grateful to those of you who shared that journey with us. With that said, we decided that this was a perfect time to write and record something truly different, something that reflected what we have been through and what we have become. Our new album is almost done being mixed, and there will be many more details coming in the following days and weeks. We are LIGHT THE TORCH. See you soon.” Nevertheless, the band is moving forward with a brand new album in Revival which is out March 30TH and the album will also mark the first time former Extinction A.D. drummer Mike Sciulara has played with the band. The band has also unleashed their first single Die Alone which is bound to please any fan of Howard’s. Check it out below:

One of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time is none other than Birmingham, England’s own Judas Priest. Judas Priest is a band that deserves so much credit as far as the metal world is concerned and the fact that they were snubbed by the rock and roll hall of fame is ludicrous. Nonetheless, the band took all of 2017 off to ensure that they would deliver a brand new album that was co-produced by Tom Allom (his first since 1988’s Ram It Down) and Andy Sneap (his first effort) called Firepower. Rob Halford talked about the pairing of the two saying, “Tom Allom has got this classic metal thing and Andy [Sneap] is a bit more of a ‘modern metal producer’ but his thinking is a little bit different to Tom’s. And I think to get this balance between that classic old school metal to what Andy’s world is was just a remarkable coalescence.” The first track that was unleashed off the album is the song Lightning Strike and upon first listen you can hear old school Judas Priest all over the track. The track has me excited for what Firepower will offer when it comes out March 9TH via Epic. You can pre-order the album now by going here, but for now check out the track below:

As always we are feeling generous and it is Christmas Eve after all so we have your Metal single of the week for you guys. One question though, what happens when you mix the Black Sabbath of Asia with one of the New Wave Of American Metal’s most celebrated singer and you put on a soundtrack to a cool Taiwanese film? Well, I have the answer for all of you guys and it’s a kick ass track called Souls Of The Revolution which is from the film Tshiong and is by the band Chthonic and it features Randy Blythe with some guest vocals. Oh by the way, the band and Randy Blythe are also in the movie. According to Loudwire, “Tshiong tells the story of a man from the countryside, A-tek (played by Tsai Chang-hsien), who decides to go to Taipei to seek help from Chthonic when his village faces a malicious development project. Along the way, he becomes Chthonic’s driver. Being a naïve fan of Chthonic, he believed the band members were akin to superheroes and would fight the injustice befalling his village, but gradually he discovers that they are not as courageous as he thought.” Check out the track below and the trailer for the film below that.